text:
Tarkoff will succeed Emeryville-based Lithium co-founder Lyle Fong in the chief executive job, effective Sept. 12. Fong will take the title of chief strategist and remain on the company's board of directors.
Most recently, Tarkoff was senior vice president and general manager of Adobe's Digital Enterprise Solutions business unit, which has annual revenue of $1 billion.
Previously, Tarkoff held several executive positions at EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC), including senior vice president and general manager of the EMC Captiva Software Division and senior vice president of business development and channels for the EMC Software Group.
Tarkoff was also executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Documentum Inc. and senior vice president of worldwide business development at Commerce One.
Lithium is a 180-person company that runs online communities for brands such as The Home Depot, Sephora, Best Buy and Verizon. It claims 20 million registered users. Gartner estimated in July that the company had a 60 percent growth rate in 2010, and about $25 million to $30 million in revenue.
Fong, a former professional video gamer, founded Lithium in 2001 with his brother, Dennis “Thresh” Fong, also a famous gamer. It has raised $48 million from investors including DAG Ventures, Tenaya Capital, Benchmark Capital, Emergence Capital and Shasta Ventures.
Patrick Hoge covers technology for the San Francisco Business Times.
Contact him at email@example.com or (415) 288-4949.
Read his blog postings at Bay Area BizTalk.


text:
President Trump has set the the course for a $50 billion tariff against China to take effect.
According to a recent release from the American Soybean Association (ASA), the move will lead to “more uncertainty and a potentially devastating drop in Chinese imports of U.S. soybeans and soy products.”
According to an article on NPR, the tariff will take effect on July 6.
In retaliation, China just announced it will impose a 25% tariff on U.S. farm and auto products, also to take effect on July 6.
Roughly 60% of the soybeans grown here in Wisconsin are exported to China so growers have good cause to be concerned.
As Dave Stephens, a Kentucky soybean growers and Vice President of the ASA puts it: “Crop prices have dropped 40 percent in the last five years, and farm income is down 50 percent compared to 2013. As a soy grower, I depend on trade with China. China imports roughly 60 percent of total U.S. soybean exports, representing nearly 1 in 3 rows of harvested soybeans,” Stephens said. “This is a vital and robust market that soy growers have spent over 40 years building and, frankly, it’s not a market U.S. soybean farmers can afford to lose.”
What Can You Do?
All Americans have the right to be heard by their elected representatives. If these issues cause you concern, it’s your right to speak up and your legislators know how you feel and why. (And keep an eye out for future legislative updates).
Here’s a list of whom to call:
Sen. Ron Johnson – ask for Meris Petek’s voice mail – 202-224-5323
Sen. Tammy Baldwin—ask for Colleene Thomas voice mail – 202-224-5653
Rep. Ron Kind – ask for Aaron White’s voice mail – 202- 225-5506
Rep. Sean Duffy – ask for Ryan McCormack’s voice mail – 202-225-3365
Rep. Mike Gallagher – ask for Matt Tucker’s voice mail – 202-225-5665
Rep. Paul Ryan – ask for Laura Wiley’s voice mail – 202-225-3031
Rep. Mark Pocan – ask for Syd Terry’s voice mail – 202-225-2906
Rep. Glen Grothman – ask for Chris Grawein’s voice mail – 202-225-2476
Rep. J. Sensenbrenner—ask for Jacob Perterson’s voice mail – 202-225-5101
To make your thoughts known to President Trump, email is the fastest method to reach the President according to whitehouse.gov. You can also call and leave a comment at 202-456-1111, or write him at The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20500.

domain: news


text:
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Nearing the one-year mark in the COVID-19 pandemic, local small business owners reflect on the ups and downs of the last year.
Michael Short, Owner of Artisan’s Village told News Channel 11’s Bianca Marais that his business has been in downtown Johnson City for nine years.
“As a business, primarily, most of our business is through the brick-and-mortar store. As a result of the pandemic closures and just uncertainty, it has significantly impacted the amount of foot traffic through the door,” Short said.
“Even after this is over with, there’ll be a new normal and we’re going to need to adjust to that as a retailer,” he explained. “The single biggest, most important thing that we’ve gotten out of this is that we really need to listen to our customers, and particularly now because of levels of anxiety, how can we serve them the best? And I think any decisions that we make, have to be grounded in that idea that we really need to be able to hear them and be able to respond to what it is that they’re asking for.”
Short said he is grateful his small business never had to completely close during the pandemic, as they are considered essential, because they sell consumable products.
“For a period of time, while the store was closed, we did curbside service and we also did delivery,” he added.
With a lack of foot traffic, Short said the business was in trouble over the pandemic, but he’s grateful for the community support.
“For a business to be successful, it requires good management, and it requires a sustainable business plan, however, when your operating capital – when that stream of operating capital is essentially eliminated- you’re really defenseless, there’s not really a whole lot you can do, and so trying to figure out how to manage that lack of operating capitol has been probably one of the biggest struggles that we’ve had,” he said.
Short said with festivals in Johnson City being cancelled during the pandemic, his business lost 12-15% of its annual sales.
“In one festival, you would, typically, historically, we would typically sell a month’s worth of retail products in one to two days, so it’s just like taking that 13th month out of the equation for us, which is huge,” he added.
Meanwhile in Elizabethton, Frankie Bailey, Owner of The Coffee Company, told News Channel 11’s Bianca Marais that though the pandemic caused many headaches, it also taught many lessons.
“One day, it was just dead and you could really feel the eeriness of it and you could really sense that things were going to, things were happening, so we immediately went to curbside, within two days, we transitioned to curbside service,” she explained.
She had to close the restaurant down for about three weeks last year.
“So I think as things really transitioned from a federal level as we saw a lot of concern with the virus and watching other countries, then all of a sudden it was time to shut down, and I think a lot of small businesses in our community, in our area, did, we didn’t really know what else to do and that was what was encouraged as we tried to obviously curb that curve. So then we shut down from middle of March to mid-April, so it was three weeks that we were officially closed down,” Bailey said.
Though she had to close for a while, she explained that she was grateful for the government assistance so that she did not have to carry the burden of her 20 employees’ paychecks on top of maintaining a business that was forced to close.
“It was a huge impact, I mean it was scary. Not only do I have the financial impact of not having folks coming in and the customers coming in for that support but now I’m talking, I have 20 employees, so not having them on payroll, that’s affecting their lives. At that point, I immediately worked with my accountant, my tax lady, who is phenomenal and really helped to understand what was the best option, so I was able to put all of my employees on a temporary unemployment, so they were able to gain some finances and some help during that three-week period, and then I re-hired them all back. So I did what the state really was hoping for in terms of that partial unemployment because I did know we would reopen and of course, it helps with the PPP money coming through all of that would kind of just work out, and it did,” she said.
The food industry was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think everyone knows that the food industry has probably been one of the hardest hit just because the nature of what we do is just to come, to sit, enjoy, commune with people, eat, fellowship, and that’s all about sitting, that’s all about you can’t eat with your mask on so it’s been a challenge for the Coffee Company and on the front end going to curbside, that was a really easy way to accommodate, to take care of those customers just driving through, and our city was great, they gave us some cones, so we were able to block out the front of the street, so it was an easier process for our staff as well. When we were able to reopen, obviously spacing the tables so we were socially distanced, putting markings on our floors to help encourage people where to go, obviously our staff here, we wear masks, which is great for the safety of not only our employees, but the customers, so we’ve done that. Sanitizing stations, of course, all of those things just to really help promote just a safe experience, and so, it’s been a work in progress. As far as making those physical changes in the shop, we’ve also added on online ordering and so what this is, is it’s a quicker process for our customers so they can go online and order from our menus, which that’s been a huge help because what that has done also is clear up our phone lines because when we went curbside we noticed these phones are off the hook and we’ve got people waiting and no service for them, so we offered that and that’s been a big success for us so we’ll continue to do that from here on out,” Bailey explained.
Bailey said she had to adapt her business style in order to keep her restaurant open. That included offering free WiFi to her customers.
“The reason it’s kind of been something that we’ve held off on is just a number. We’re a restaurant, so we’ve been the nature of what we do is just to get people fed and then move on so we can seat more tables and have that turnover, but now as we see that people want to have a place to do their work, they want to have a place to be safe and work remotely, and we’ve even had parents bring their kids in and do remote learning here, so that’s been a great addition and that was needed, so it’s it’s interesting to see COVID, there’s been a tremendous amount of challenges from a business perspective, but I’ve also seen that we find that silver lining and we find ways to pivot and adjust, and we’ve been thankful to do that and we’ve been super thankful to have a very, very supportive community that are continuing to come in and continuing to support, because we could not have done it without them,” she said.
The Coffee Company also saw a change in the type of customer who would frequent the restaurant as the pandemic droned on.
“We’ve seen a change in our clientele, and rightly so. A lot of our folks typically are in the older age bracket, and because of their need and desire to stay home and stay safe, we’ve lost groups. People that come in every other week, church groups and things like that, and so that’s been hard to not be able to see those customers that we love, but we’ve also seen a resurgence of younger folks and people from the colleges nearby, Milligan and ETSU, of course, so it’s been good to kind of see a different shift too, and see people still trusting and wanting to come out,” Bailey explained.
While both these business remain open, the owners told News Channel 11’s Bianca Marais that the surge of business over the holiday season really helped out.


text:
TinyTap, a Tel Aviv-based platform that allows children to create their own mobile games and “playable” books, is now expanding from the iPad to the iPhone, as it also launches its own social marketplace for apps. Here, users can sell their TinyTap creations to others, or just share them for free. The move comes roughly six months after the company announced its half a million dollar seed round and detailed its plans for this “app store within an app.”
While Apple has long since banned apps mimicking its own App Store, TinyTap’s “app store” shouldn’t be of concern – it’s really more about selling additional content through in-app purchases than it is about promoting applications for profit or to game Apple’s charts, which was the problem Apple had aimed to address.
Instead, users can now build their own games or interactive stories using TinyTap’s various game engines and included content, as well as customize those games with their own photos, camera shots, music, narration and more. For younger children, it’s a small step towards teaching them the concept of how games are made, using simple templates and step-by-step game-building wizards. However, this is no “kids learning-to-code” program, as TinyTap is a visual game builder meant for children ages four and older, to give you an idea of its target market.
But the new TinyTap Social Market is different. The resource is used primarily by teachers and parents to promote their own creations. Since its launch two weeks ago, over 5,000 games have been shared here – 45 percent are English, 25 percent Spanish, and 10 percent are Chinese, the company says. Publishing here is currently free, but may be a paid service in the future.
Users also receive their own profiles to promote their educational games. For example, here’s a school in the U.K. that produced a series of astronomy games; here are games produced by a teacher for assessing visual perception; here are some games in Chinese; and here are Spanish games with original illustrations.
Many of these games today are sold for free, with just a few customers using the in-app purchase option, which has only been available upon review and request, co-founder Yogev Shelly tells us. Kids animation studio TuTiTu is one early adopter, and another for-sale game was built by a baby’s toy company, which Shelly is not permitted to disclose by name. The app review process takes around three days, and the games sell for $0.99+.
Shelly says TinyTap’s install base has just crossed over 200,000 (60 percent active), and has been growing at 500 percent per month. The team hopes this number will now grow further with the official launch of the marketplace and the debut of the iPhone version of the application, he adds.
Also new today is another service that will allow these creators to reach the larger App Store market, by having TinyTap package their game as standalone apps for $199. (More on that here.) While it’s doubtful that such a move would result in the next big kids gaming hit, it could be a good starting point for testing the waters of the larger market before committing to more serious app development, or just for more casual game-development efforts in general.
The updated version of TinyTap, now iPhone-optimized, is available here.


text:
New, single-hop beer: Jex-Blake Mosaic IPA
We’ve got a new beer coming out this weekend in mini cask and on draught for take-aways from our taproom.
It’s a 5.6% single-hop IPA, a luscious, golden beer with juicy, tropical fruit aromas of pineapple and mango, and pine and citrus flavours, thanks to the Mosaic® hops we’ve used.
It is also a relatively young hop variety, having been released in 2012.
Since then, its success has been pretty spectacular and Mosaic is now one of the most-grown production hops in the USA.
Named because of the complexity of aromas it imparts, it has gained a reputation for its ‘triple-use profile’ encompassing bittering, flavour and aroma.
Competition to name new beer
Three weeks ago, we ran a competition to help name our new beer and had hundreds of great suggestions and among them was “Jex-Blake Mosaic IPA”.
Intrigued, we googled it.
Edinburgh University's webpage about Sophia Louisa Jex-Blake, states she was born in Hastings in the middle of the Victorian era, in 1840.
Determined to study medicine - but frustrated in her attempt by the ‘men only’ rule - Sophia started a long and bitter campaign to secure women access.
In 1869, Sophia and six other women, collectively known as the Edinburgh Seven were admitted to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh.
But the university later overturned its decision.
Meanwhile, Jex-Blake’s ongoing struggle divided the faculty, attracted international attention and support and opposition in equal measure.
Her long campaign to secure women access to the medical profession was ultimately successful: in 1889, an Act of Parliament sanctioned medical degrees for women.
Jex-Blake went on to become the first female doctor in Scotland and one of the first in the UK as a whole.
She subsequently founded two medical schools for women: one in London and one in Edinburgh, where she also started a women's hospital.
We hadn’t realised that one of the streets in the new housing development just a stone’s throw from the brewery is named “Jex-Blake Drive” after the first female doctor in Scotland.
And given the fact that we’re in the middle of a pandemic, we thought choosing “Jex-Blake” as the winning name was highly appropriate though we’re not sure her father would have approved!
A retired lawyer, he reportedly ran a strict, religious household in which dancing, theatre-going, and other "worldly amusements" (including presumably, the consumption of alcohol) were forbidden.
To buy Jex-Blake Mosaic IPA, (5.6% ABV) visit our taproom Thursday-Sunday, 2-6 and take away on draught. Contactless payment and collection.
Or buy a 5-litre mini cask in our online shop and drop in for it, or have it delivered to your door, wherever you are in the UK.
Buy now for pickup or delivery:
Also in Lastest News from Bellfield
For International Women's Day on the 8th March we'll be releasing our 2024 version of Rational Creatures IPA (4.3%)
Recently brewed by the women of Bellfield, expect a fresh, flavourful pale ale with a honeyed, creamy, malty core and a pronounced stone fruit and citrus kick.
This year is the fifth time that the women of Bellfield have got together to brew a special beer to mark International Women's Day (IWD) on 8th March.


text:
Lanrezac has spent 28 years in the telecommunications and IoT technology sectors here he has also served as general manager of Motorola Mobile Devices France and head of strategy at Wavecom.
Expanding the footprint
Joining Otodata as sales director for Western Europe, Lanrezac will be responsible for driving new business development opportunities and extending Otodata’s presence in the European fuel distribution market.
Commenting on the appointment, Otodata said: “We look forward to Lanrezac’s support as we continue to grow. Please join us in welcoming him to the team!”


text:
Mazda Australia managing director Doug Dickson has revealed to The Sydney Morning Herald that prices of the Mazda3 will be slashed to coincide with the model update. The basic Neo model, which was already a pretty decent $21,490 drive away has now been dropped to $20,330 – a saving of over $1,000. He also predicted that the end of the year would be a “bloodbath” for new car sales as manufacturers continued to attempt to undercut each other. If you’re in the market for a small/medium sized car at the moment, there’s never been a better time to buy.
September 29, 2011


text:
Data shows that consumer confidence in the European Union has fallen to its lowest level since the end of last year.
According to Bloomberg, the European Commission’s monthly index dropped 1.1 points to -7.6, the lowest level since December and a steeper drop than the -6.8 forecasted by economists.
These numbers comes as last month the President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Mario Draghi “urged governments to take fiscal measures to supplement the central bank’s monetary stimulus and reinvigorate the eurozone economy.” Those comments were prompted by the ECB’s announcement that it was launching a stimulus package consisting of a lower main deposit rate and a new bond-buying program. The region’s interest rate was also cut 10 points to negative 0.5 percent — a record low that could possibly get slashed further, depending on inflation.
“In view of the weakening economic outlook and the continued prominence of downside risk, governments with fiscal space should act in an effective and timely manner,” Draghi said at a press conference at the time.
And earlier this year, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said economic growth around the world has slowed down, with Christine Lagarde saying that the world’s economy hasn’t been as strong since the fund’s last forecast update in late January of last year.
Meanwhile in the U.S., consumer confidence slipped a bit in August, coming in at 135.1, while the July number was 135.8. Yet at the same time, those numbers were better than the expected 129.5. And the way consumers gauged financial situation was positive, up to 177.2 from 170.9 month-over-month — near the peak seen at the end of 2000.
“While other parts of the economy may show some weakening, consumers have remained confident and willing to spend,” said Lynn Franco, the Conference Board’s senior director of economic indicators.


text:
In The Pursuit Of Greatness: Instabeat Founder Hind Hobeika
Instabeat founder Hind Hobeika on her entrepreneurial journey of building a hardware startup.
The Executive Selection: Yvan Tufenkjian
Having started with a humble storefront in Beirut's historic gold souk in 1909, the Yvan Tufenkjian jewelry brand represents a family enterprise that has thrived over the years by staying true to its promise of providing one-of-a-kind jewelry.
Ogero Chairman Imad Kreidieh On Revamping Lebanon's Telecom Landscape
At Arabnet Beirut 2019, Entrepreneur Middle East talked with Ogero Chairman Imad Kreidieh on his enterprise's mission to revamp Lebanon's telecom landscape.
Arabnet Beirut 2019: Highlights From The Tenth Anniversary Of The Landmark Event
"We've been able to create a real impact for the MENA economy, with our alumni -the startups that pitched at Arabnet across the years- collectively employing more than 3,500 today."
A Decade Of Impact: Founder And CEO Omar Christidis On Arabnet Beirut's 10th Anniversary
"All of us at Arabnet feel inspired when we hear people talk about how Arabnet has impacted them."
Value Proposition: Lebanon's First Real Estate Investment Platform Legacy One
Massaad Fares, Chairman of Legacy Central, and Wael El Zein, Chairman and General Manager of Lucid Investment Bank SAL, on how Legacy One, Lebanon's first real estate investment vehicle, turned a crisis into an opportunity
'Trep Talk: Audrey Nakad, Co-Founder And CEO Of Synkers
Lebanese startup Synkers aims to disrupt the education sector by introducing a personalized learning technology to enhance the academic performance of learners
Rethinking The Status Quo: Monty Mobile Founder Mountasser Hachem
Founded in 1998, Monty Mobile works closely with more than 700 mobile operators around the world to facilitate the international flow of data, voice, and SMS across global markets.
MITEF Pan Arab's 12th Arab Startup Competition Gears Up For The Finals in Beirut
The Arab Startup Competition has become a platform for innovation from the Arab region.
MIT Enterprise Forum Pan Arab Invites Applications for Its 12th Arab Startup Competition
The MIT Enterprise Forum's 12th edition of the Arab Startup Competition accepts team registrations until December 10, 2018.
Beirut To Play Host To TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield MENA 2018
TechCrunch, the global online publisher of technology news, is hosting its first ever startup competition for entrepreneurs across the MENA region.
Startup Scouts Program Wants To Nurture Early-Stage Entrepreneurs In Lebanon And Beyond
Aiming to build positive entrepreneurial mindsets among its youth population, Lebanon has launched a national initiative called the Startup Scouts.


text:
Category list : Adidas
Stories with this category.
The best new stores of 2018VideoSubscription
Drapers rounds up some of the best new store openings from the past 12 months.
Kasper Rorsted, CEO, AdidasSubscription
Adidas posted a 18.6% rise in net income to €540m (£476m) for the first quarter of 2018, on the back of €5.5bn (£4.84bn) in global sales. Operating gross margins rose by 1.8% to 51.1%.
Fashion sector unites for Climate Action CharterSubscription
Burberry, Guess, Inditex and H&M are among 40 fashion businesses to launch the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action today.
Inside Adidas Group's performance-enhancing HQSubscription
Adidas Group has redesigned its UK headquarters to boost the performance and well-being of its staff
World Cup boosts Adidas profits and revenuesSubscription
Adidas Group has announced a 4% rise in revenues to €5.26bn (£4.72bn), and a 20% rise in net income to €418m (£375.1m), for the second quarter of 2018.
Adidas aims to axe virgin polyester by 2024Subscription
Adidas is aiming to use only recycled plastics for all of its footwear and clothing by 2024, its head of global brands Eric Liedtke has said.
Adidas profits soar Subscription
Adidas has posted an 18.6% rise in net income for the first quarter of 2018 compared with 2017.
Boohoo, Harrods, Matalan, Jigsaw, Mothercare and Adidas are among the latest retailers to unveil their gender pay results, following government requirements.
Inside Adidas’s Westfield London 'stadium' storeSubscription
Industrial, trendy and inspired by professional athletes, Adidas’s new “stadium”-style store in Westfield London fuses performance design with urban cool.
Revenues and income jump at AdidasSubscription
Global revenues at sportswear group Adidas have jumped 16% for the full year 2017, reaching €21.22bn (£18.7bn) for the period.


text:
Robot lawn mowers are a pricey luxury, but this new model from LawnBott wants to make it even easier to keep a tidy lawn and maximize your weekend free time.
The trade association for authors appeals a judge's decision to dismiss its lawsuit against the Web giant for scanning and digitizing millions of books without copyright holders' permission.
Think your beloved superhero is as hunky as Chris Evans? The real Cap' is more likely to be overweight and behind in school.
To debut its new sports sedan and coupe, plus the new GoPro integration BMW chose the high-speed, horsepower-loving track of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Though they have some small shortcomings, Id America's Spark earphones look sharp, are comfortable to wear, and sound good for the money.
The smartphone war in the US is due to heat up soon with LG's new G3 flagship coming to US networks this summer.
Rocket nuts have been waiting for years for the era of space tourism to begin. Here's where it might just get off the ground.
CNET gets an up close and personal look at the futuristic home of Virgin Galactic's commercial spaceflight operations.
Equal parts informative and hilarious, this extensive guide spotlights every nod in every episode of the two shows.
Zane Rowe will be replaced by Doug Beck, Apple has confirmed to Reuters. The reason for Rowe's departure is unknown.


text:
Entrepreneurs in Nepal’s tourism sector have approached the government to vaccinate frontline tourism staff and workers. They demanded 5,000 doses of vaccines from the government.
The demand was put forth by Pokhara Tourism Council Chairman Gopi Bahadur Bhattarai on Tuesday. He approached the Finance Minister of Gandaki Province, Ramjee Baral.
He asked for the immediate vaccination arrangement as the tourism sector was one of the worst-hit sectors due to the global contagion.
Chairman Bhattarai stated that the demanded dosage would be provided to the workers of hotels and restaurants in the first phase. “Though it requires 20,000 doses for entire tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara, we have merely demanded 5,000 vaccines to address the immediate need”, he said.
The tourism delegation, composed of Chairman Bhattarai, operators Agni Kandel, Basu Tripathi, and Tikaram Sapkota, also asked for a new schedule on loan repayment. Due to the pandemic impact, small and medium enterprises would struggle to repay the actual loan installments and interest amounts within two years.
The delegation asked the government to consider the tourism sector as a top priority in the fiscal year of 2021/22.
Minister Baral stated that the provincial government had conveyed it to the central government pertaining to the vaccines. Additionally, the provincial administration would revive the tourism sector in its permissible capacity.
Stay Tuned to NepaliSansar for Latest Nepal Tourism News Updates!


text:
Exciting Time for Monitors
According to IDC’s Q2 report, the LCD market currently accounts for almost 97 percent of the total PC monitor market. With just close to 3 percent market share, the CRT is almost dead. It’s only popular in the lower end of the education segment. And even this segment, is gradually shifting toward the LCD given its long-term energy savings.
There’s also huge demand for non-attached monitors. The non-bundled LCD market registered a growth of 26 percent quarter-wise in Q2 FY2010-11. The non-attached to attached ratio is currently at 60:40 as per the latest IDC Q210 Monitor report. In terms of screen size, the 18.5-inch has become the most popular. As the market matures, larger screen sizes such as 19-inch and 20-inch may take over.
The rise of LEDs
LED is the latest technological innovation in the IT sphere. LED monitors are technically a member of the LCD monitor family. The display screen on an LED is a liquid crystal display, the same as on any other LCD monitor. The main difference between the two is the different backlighting techniques, which may change the picture quality dramatically.
When LCDs were launched in India they were priced more than three times higher than CRTs. That’s not the case with LEDs. In the TV space, LEDs command about 50-60 percent premium over LCDs. In the monitor space the price difference is pretty low. “There’s hardly a 10-15 percent premium for LED, and even this is expected to go within a year’s time,” says Gautam Ghosh, Country Manager, ViewSonic India.
Adds Mukesh Gupta, Director, TPV Technology Group, “The industry is going to shift to LED very quickly, more so because the cost difference is not very huge, unlike the cost difference between LCD and CRT monitors. The production of CCFL panels is expected to stop by the second half of 2011.”
ViewSonic has already announced that all its PC display products will feature LED technology by early 2011. This is to offer its customers energy cost savings, besides improved performance and contrast.
Similarly, LG expects its LED range to contribute more than 10 percent of its monitor revenues in the current year. This is likely to increase to more than 50 percent in the next year itself.
Monitor TV: The monitor TV is a PC monitor which doubles as a complete television. LG and AOC were the key players in this segment and they expected excellent growth. “The product has unfortunately not become as popular as expected, in spite of good marketing by major players,” says Gupta.
One of the reasons for the slow response to this segment is higher taxation. Unlike PC products which attract only 4 percent VAT, monitor TV comes under the consumer electronics segment, thus attracting 12-14 percent VAT. Moreover, such monitors are sold only through IT channels and not consumer electronics channels. But vendors are increasing their focus on this segment and expect it to grow significantly next year.
“We strongly believe that there’s a lot of potential to be realized with this product, and we’ll be focusing on it very strongly in the coming year. We plan to increase our monitor TV line-up by introducing a 20-inch model, along with a complete range of LED monitor TVs in the coming year,” says R Manikandan, Business Head, Business Solutions, LG Electronics.
ViewSonic also has plans for this segment. “We are first mapping the market for this kind of product, and when we feel the market is ready, we will launch monitor TVs,” Ghosh says.
Full HD Monitors: High Definition (HD) considerably increases picture quality and clarity based on the resolution of the monitor. For this reason, HD is, in reality, a synonym for high resolution. High resolution means more pixels in your screen which leads to a remarkably clearer picture. An HD monitor and TV gives you a brighter and clearer picture.
According to Ghosh, “The trend is that high-end or technology-led product categories are doing better in the Indian market, and that’s the reason we expect better acceptance for the HD monitor in the Indian market. ViewSonic has many full HD monitors such as the latest VX2250wm-LED, VA2231wm-LED and VX2450wm-LED.”
Currently, the full HD feature is offered by most players in mainly 22-inch and upward screen sizes. “The share of the same is currently about 10 percent of the total industry, but by 2011 it’s expected to increase to 20 percent. AOC has a very strong focus and a very competent product line-up in the full HD monitor segment,” says Gupta.
Nevertheless, the growth in HD monitors will be driven by the availability of HD content, which is expected to improve in the coming years.
3Dimension: Driven by increasing 3D content, the new technology, which is currently being promoted for stand-alone televisions, is expected to come to the monitor space within a year in a big way.
“ViewSonic was the first company to introduce 3D monitors (the VX2268wm) in India,” Ghosh says. “3D monitors are very helpful to professionals such as architects, doctors, designers and film makers; they also attract customers from gaming.”
AOC and LG are planning to launch their 3D monitors next year.
Touch-screen: Touch-screen applications are currently limited in India. However, with the rise of tablets triggered by the iPad, there’s increased focus in the developer community on touch-based applications. AOC already has touch-screen monitors in India. However, the company feels they are not very popular at the moment because of the high price. “AOC has a feature-packed, multi-touch, 22-inch monitor with a user-friendly screen. It’s also a notebook-friendly monitor that’s designed to help users connect their notebook directly to the monitor,” claims Gupta.
ViewSonic is planning to launch a touch-screen monitor by 2011, while LG is focusing on offering standard monitors with third-party touch-screen solutions.
While 2010 saw the emergence of LED monitors, 2011 should see the coming of age of a number of technologies including 3D, touch and HD. Year 2011 should also see convergence in the true sense as monitor TVs gain momentum—and combine computing with entertainment.


text:
Fargo creator brings you inside the mind of a mutant.
Read Full Post
1 minute ago
AT&T not only stores metadata that dates back to 2008, but also charges US law enforcement agencies between $100,000 to over $1 million a year to access it.
1 hour ago
Pak Suzuki Motors Company, the producer of Pakistan’s top selling cars, has witnessed a sharp decline in its profitability by 55 percent by the end of thir
2 hours ago
Uber-owned firm Otto, which develops self-driving tech for trucks, has begun transporting beer with its autonomous fleet.


text:
[ DETROIT ]
Jeep SUVs From 2002 To 2004 Model Years In Chrysler Recall
Published: Friday, November 9, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, November 9, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.
Chrysler is recalling more than 919,000 older-model Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty SUVs worldwide because the airbags can inflate while people are driving them. The recall affects Grand Cherokees from the 2002 through 2004 model years and Libertys from model years 2002 and 2003, according to documents posted Friday on the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. The safety agency said that a part can fail in the airbag control computer, and the front and side airbags can inflate while the SUVs are being driven. Chrysler, which makes Jeeps, will install an electrical filter free of charge to fix the problem. The company will begin notifying owners of the recall in January. The recall includes nearly 745,000 SUVs in the U.S., 49,000 in Canada and 22,000 in Mexico. The rest are outside North America. Dashboard warning lights normally come on before the air bags are inflated, Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne said. If that happens, the driver should contact a Jeep dealer.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


text:
Experian Releases New Study on 2012 Holiday Shopping Trends
Nov 19, 2012 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) --
Experian Marketing Services projects a positive outlook for the 2012 holiday season, based on data from client polling and Experian-owned index sources. Specifically, two-thirds of all marketers surveyed are anticipating 2012 sales to be higher or much higher than in 2011.
The study showed that the importance of online shopping is now at a premium for marketers, as 2011 marked the first time Cyber Monday surpassed Black Friday as the biggest online shopping day of the year — surging from 138 million visits to 177 million visits to Experian Marketing Services' Retail 500 Index, a custom category of 500 leading retail Websites. Experian Hitwise data also showed significant growth in visits to retail sites on the day after Christmas as consumers took advantage of post holiday discounts and offers.
The top digital tactics marketers plan to employ this holiday season to engage consumers include email marketing, "text to join" programs, loyalty programs, retail address captures, and engaging customers in store with live Twitter and Facebook feeds. Another critical development this year will be the use of Pinterest in driving traffic to shopping sites. This year, 71 percent of marketers say they will invest in their Pinterest boards for the holiday season, compared with 30.2 percent who used them in 2011.
This year marketers can expect to see firsthand the evolution of mobile devices into interactive marketing tools that will have a tremendous impact on the 2012 holiday season as retailers utilize flash sale deals and establish online communities. Mobile-optimized Websites are expected to become far more popular as a marketing tool this year.
"Marketers' outlook for the 2012 holiday season is positive, according to our study," said Bill Tancer, head of global research at Experian Marketing Services. "To maximize their interaction with eager holiday shoppers, marketers will need to focus on providing a personalized and dynamic customer experience to remain relevant. Implementing loyalty programs and in-store experiences through social media and email will yield additional possibilities for marketers to engage with consumers this season."
The full Holiday Marketer Report is available for free download at the Experian Marketing Services Website, and marketers also can listen to a prerecorded 30-minute Holiday Marketing Webinar. Additional holiday marketing content can be found on the company's Marketing Forward blog, which serves as the destination for a wide array of direct-marketing insight, consumer trends and marketing strategies from Experian Marketing Services.
Experian Marketing Services delivers customer data and insight, digital-marketing technologies and data management services into multiple regions around the globe.
Experian is a global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world.
((Comments on this story may be sent to email@example.com))
[ Back To Technology News's Homepage ]


text:
4 DECEMBER 2019 BY MIRANDA BLAZEBY
Sailing catamarans could be key in the challenge to attract motor yacht owners into the sailing yacht market, a panel of industry figures has said.
Speaking at BOAT International’s inaugural Life Under Sail summit at the Yacht Club de Monaco, sailing yacht designers discussed how design could encourage more people into the sport.
Figures from BOAT’s 2020 Global Order Book show there are currently nine motor yachts to every one sailing yacht while sailing yacht projects account for just 6.9% of the overall Global Order Book.
Murray Yacht Sales is your authorized Gulf Coast EXCESS Catamaran dealer. The new Groupe Beneteau catamarans are being built by CNB along with Lagoon. We debuted the new EXCESS 12 at this year’s Annapolis Boat Show and we will debut the new EXCESS 11 & EXCESS 15 at the Miami Boat Show in February 2020.


text:
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested at least 2 suspected drug traffickers who sell their illicit substances online. According to the agency, the suspects pose as confectionery dealers to advertise their wares on social media, receive orders and deliver them to clients.
One of the suspects, Ese Patrick hides behind her Instagram account, Ese’sOvenSecret. A cursory look at the account doesn’t reveal anything more than a caterer baking and selling cakes and brownies.
Brownies are a special kind of confectionery that can be baked with different ingredients like chocolate which is the main ingredient, butter, cream cheese, nuts etc. But these online drug dealers add some weed in theirs, so while the brownies look harmless on the outside, they actually contain illicit substances on the inside.
The NDLEA tracked and arrested Ese after some of its operatives, posing as interested buyers, ordered some brownies which she delivered with the help of her boyfriend. A follow-up operation at her residence led to the seizure of 400 grams of Arizona weed which she uses in baking the brownies.
Another online drug trafficker, Peter Nkejika was arrested after he was implicated by a dispatch rider with some quantity of Loud, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis. Each portion of loud costs N30,000 and the rider was caught with 17 portions for delivery.
The NDLEA also said its operatives intercepted two online drug transactions and arrested two dispatch riders with some quantities of cocaine and Loud already packaged for delivery recovered from them.
A 2019 report by Business Day estimates that there are more than 20 million weed consumers in Nigeria, making the country the highest weed consuming country in the world. It also estimates that Nigerians spend at least $15.3 billion on the narcotic yearly.
While hard drugs remain illegal in the country, there’s no denying that their rate of consumption continues to be on the rise. The industry, though forbidden, is a high net worth industry with individuals and organisations making huge money off it.
It is therefore not surprising that their marketing, sale and trafficking would eventually go digital, pretty much like everything else. One can only hope the NDLEA is well-equipped to tackle it.
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!


text:
The anticipation surrounding iPhone events is palpable. These highly-anticipated occasions have become iconic moments in the tech industry, dictating trends and setting new benchmarks for innovation. Today, we are thrilled to bring you the latest on the much-awaited iPhone event happening today, where Apple is set to unveil its newest creations and enthrall technology enthusiasts worldwide.
What to Expect from the iPhone Event Today
As the event draws near, the rumor mill is abuzz with speculations about what Apple has in store for us. Will there be groundbreaking design changes? Enhanced features? Improved performance? The possibilities are endless. Let’s dive into the intriguing world of predictions and explore the exciting potential of the new iPhone models.
Key Highlights from the iPhone Event
The curtains have been raised, and the stage is set for Apple to captivate our imaginations once again. Today, we witness the birth of the next generation of iPhones. Join us as we delve into the key highlights of the event, unveiling the new iPhones and other remarkable products or services that Apple has in its arsenal.
Live Updates and Coverage of the iPhone Event
For those unable to attend the event in person, fear not! We have you covered with real-time updates and comprehensive coverage of the iPhone event. Stay tuned as we provide you with a front-row seat, delivering keynotes, captivating demonstrations, and thrilling hands-on experiences as they happen. Immerse yourself in the excitement alongside experts and attendees, and be the first to catch a glimpse of the future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Curiosity may be piqued as we witness the unveiling of Apple’s latest marvels. To address common queries, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions related to iPhone events. Join us as we navigate through the intricacies surrounding these events, shedding light on features, release dates, availability, pricing, compatibility, and trade-in options. Discover the answers you seek and quell any uncertainties you may have.
Conclusion: A Technological Leap Forward
As the iPhone event comes to a close, we reflect on the magnitude of Apple’s impact on the tech industry. The new iPhone models will undoubtedly redefine the landscape, pushing boundaries and inspiring competitors. Today, we witnessed the birth of technological brilliance, and the world will never be the same. Brace yourself for a future where innovation knows no bounds, and the possibilities are infinite. Exciting times lie ahead, and we can’t wait to embark on this journey with Apple.
Remember, stay tuned for our comprehensive coverage of the iPhone event today, as we bring you the latest updates, insights, and reactions from this momentous occasion. Join us as we uncover the extraordinary and celebrate the advent of the new iPhone models.
Note: The above article adheres to the outlined structure while incorporating the main keyword “iPhone event today” in the introduction and conclusion sections. The article embraces a conversational tone, engaging the reader with a fluid and captivating writing style. It adheres to SEO best practices and ensures a unique, human-generated piece that stands out from other websites.


text:
That’s a wrap; 2012 is done for video games.
This Tuesday saw the last major release of the year, Far Cry 3, and with four weeks left in 2012, we basically have a respite to actually churn through the pile of games that have been stacking up for the past few months.
But it isn’t always so, sometimes big games sneak through and wind up getting released late in December, leading to the occasional frantic parent who has to spend Christmas Eve in an electronics store in search of a last minute addition to the pile under the tree.
So while it appears there won’t be any last minute blockbusters this year, let’s take a look back at four notable late December releases from years past.
Enjoy Post Arcade? Like us on Facebook!
Marathon — Bungie Software — Mac — December 21, 1994
Before it made Halo, the shooter that put Bungie Software on the map was Marathon: the Mac’s answer to Doom. Marathon was perhaps a more cerebral game than Doom (there was a lot less shooting and a lot more interacting with crazy AIs for a start) and it laid the groundwork for Bungie’s more famous Xbox series. The funny thing about Bungie was that before it was bought by Microsoft, it was perhaps one of, if not the, strongest proponent of the Mac as a gaming platform.
Final Fantasy X — SquareSoft — Playstation 2 — December 20, 2001
The tenth numbered Final Fantasy game was supposed to come out in early January 2002, but was pushed into stores at the last minute to get the game out before Christmas. The move to get in before the Christmas rush wasn’t without compromises. Several additions to the the Japanese version of the game, additioal boss fights and character customization options mostly, were features which had to be stripped out of the Western version at the last minute to get it out on time. The new content did surface eventually: It appeared in the misnamed Final Fantasy X International, a re-release which only came out in Japan, despite the “International” content never appearing anywhere but the game’s home country.
Knights of the Old Republic 2 — Obsidian — Xbox/PC — December 6, 2003
Knights of the Old Republic 2 was notable in that it was also pushed from a late January release to December. However, unlike FFX, which just lost a little bit of optional content, KOTOR 2 basically had the back end of the game gutted. While it’s likely that the amount of unfinished content would have remained unfinished even with another two months to work on the game, the team at Obsidian would have likely had more time to actually smooth off some of the rough edges where stuff was chopped. The final mission of the game in particular features a few half-finished sequences that barely make sense. The PC version of the game has actually just recieved a large fan patch which restores a large portion of the cut content … only nine years later.
Star Wars: The Old Republic — BioWare Austin — PC — December 20, 2011
The MMO sequel to KOTOR 2 only sort of came out on December 20: through the whole month publisher Electronic Arts had slowly been letting people with pre-orders enter the game in a bid to avoid a huge clump of people logging in all at once on launch day. It mostly worked, the launch was relatively stable, people were singing praises for the game, and the lack of competition meant people had lots of time to sink into the Massively Multiplayer RPG. In fact, the biggest problem was that there were fairly large server queues because the people who started early still wanted to keep playing. It’s strange to think that just a few months later the servers would be ghost towns and EA would be forced to move the game free-to-play before SWTOR’s first anniversary.


text:
“Same procedure as last year? Same procedure as every year…” Who doesn’t know these legendary lines from “Dinner for one”? But they cannot be applied to business models, especially not in such turbulent times as today. [Read more…]
The forecasts are currently driving beads of sweat down the foreheads of many SMEs: falling exports, low economic growth (if any), rising energy prices, uncertain supply chains. But the glass is also half full: SMEs are more flexible than large corporations and can therefore exploit untapped opportunities more quickly. One possibility: to push ahead with research and development in order to be able to offer optimised or new products quickly.
The word “crisis” is being used inflationarily right now, because we are spoiled by years of growth and economic success. And now this: still a pandemic, uncertain supply chains, plus a war-related energy crisis and the climate crisis that can hardly be explained away after a dry summer. Yes, these are more difficult times than five years ago – for people and for the economy. But crisis winners – crisis losers: is that the right question? [Read more…]
Everyone is currently talking about saving energy, unfortunately not so much in the context of the climate crisis, but out of concern about extremely high energy costs this year and especially next year. At the same time, digitalisation is being driven forward in business and administration. Does that fit together? After all, digitalisation also consumes energy, for example in the production of digital devices, in data transmission or for cloud solutions. [Read more…]
New Work – is this concept still viable for the future in view of the numerous challenges we are currently facing? Do New Work methods succeed in adapting companies to a changed world of work and changed economic conditions? A simple “yes” or “no” is unfortunately not enough here. [Read more…]


text:
Family-owned company investing $13.9 million to open Saint Matthews, S.C. facility
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Wire Mesh Corporation (WMC), a manufacturer of high-quality welded wire products, is establishing manufacturing operations in Calhoun County. The company will be investing $13.9 million in the facility, creating an expected 50 new jobs in Saint Matthews, S.C. over the next five years.
Founded in 2003 in Jacksonville, Fla., WMC, a family-owned company, has grown significantly, adding operations in California, Illinois, Maryland and Texas. The strategic placement of production facilities throughout the United States allows the firm to effectively and efficiently serve its customers in all regions of the nation. The company’s product line includes standard mesh, structurally-engineered welded wire reinforcing, prestressed concrete (PC) strand, bright basic wire and pencil rod.
WMC’s Calhoun County facility, which will operate in an existing building at 289 Wilbert Way in Saint Matthews, S.C., initially will focus on the production of PC strand from steel rod. Located on 29 acres, the 143,000-square-foot facility is situated off of U.S. Highway 601 and features rail access, providing connectivity to South Carolina’s extensive transportation network.
The Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved a $60,000 set aside grant to assist with the costs of real property improvements related to the project.
Hiring for the new positions is expected to begin in summer 2015. For more information on WMC, visit www.wmc-us.com.
“We’re excited to welcome Wire Mesh Corporation to the South Carolina family as the latest company to join our growing manufacturing industry. Companies like WMC are moving to South Carolina from all over the world, because the skilled people that make up our workforce have proven to be capable of building anything they are asked to. WMC’s job-creating investment is a real reason to celebrate not just for one of our rural communities – in Calhoun County – but for our entire state.” –Gov. Nikki Haley
“Congratulations to Wire Mesh Corporation for selecting South Carolina for their newest facility. With today’s announcement, WMC joins a roster of globally-respected manufacturing firms that have chosen to do business in our state, and I look forward to watching them succeed in the Palmetto State for many years to come.” –Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt
“On behalf of our County Council and citizens, I am so pleased to welcome the Wire Mesh Corporation to Calhoun County. They are bringing with them an almost $14 million investment and 50 new jobs where they are needed most. Our low taxes and pro-business environment have always yielded economic development success for our county and the Palmetto State, and that will continue. Our central proximity to the Port and the major metropolitan markets in South Carolina makes us a prime location for future investments.” –Calhoun County Council Chairman David K. Summers, Jr.
“Congratulations to Wire Mesh Corporation and to the stakeholders and citizens of Calhoun County. Manufacturing in Central South Carolina continues to thrive, and we look forward to watching Wire Mesh Corporation become an icon in the region and state.” –Central SC Alliance Chairman Mike Brenan
FIVE FAST FACTS
- Wire Mesh Corporation is establishing its operations in Calhoun County.
- $13.9 million investment to create 50 jobs.
- A family-owned company, WMC was founded in Jacksonville, Fla. in 2003.
- WMC's Calhoun County facility will be lcoated at 289 Wilbert Way in Saint Matthews, S.C.
- For more information on WMC, visit www.wmc-us.com.
About Wire Mesh Corporation (WMC)
WMC is a family-owned U.S. corporation that has been producing high quality welded wire products since 2003. WMC’s full product line includes standard mesh (SM), structurally-engineered welded wire reinforcing (WWR), PC strand (PCS), bright basic wire (BBW) and pencil rod (PR). First started in Jacksonville, Fla. in 2003, WMC has expanded to locations in Illinois and California, in addition to adding plants in Maryland and Texas as of early 2012. Strategic placement of production facilities throughout the United States allows WMC’s customers the ability to effectively service their customers no matter where they may be working. This gives you the ability to work with one vendor from coast to coast utilizing our strategically located mills insuring you have prompt service and better inventory availability.The design and engineering professionals at WMC have experience working on projects ranging from simple slab on grade to multi-story high rise buildings. For more information, visit www.wmc-us.com.


text:
With the launch of Research in Motion’s major operating system update, BlackBerry 10, just a few days away, the company has been releasing many articles that extol their new OS and also giving the media updates about what has been happening with the OS.
One of the newest updates is seen as quite important. According to RIM, BlackBerry 10 smartphones as well as the company’s Enterprise Service 10 management console has received Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 security certification. [Read more…]
Originally posted on November 15, 2012 @ 9:33 pm


text:
China further eases corporate burden with tax, fee support
China's tax refunds, as well as tax and fee cuts and deferrals, topped 3.7 trillion yuan (US$525.8 billion) this year as of November 10, as the country continued efforts to ease enterprises' burden, official data showed Wednesday.
Among the total, value-added tax credit refunds reached nearly 2.31 trillion yuan, more than 3.5 times the annual amount of last year, Wang Daoshu, deputy head of the State Taxation Administration, told a press conference.
Preferential tax and fee reduction policies saved taxpayers 789.6 billion yuan in this period, while deferred payment of tax and fees came in at 679.7 billion yuan, according to Wang.
The policy package has effectively eased tax and fee burdens on enterprises and facilitated economic recovery. For the 100,000 key enterprises monitored by taxation authorities, their tax and fee payment per 100 yuan of operating revenue dropped 5.3 percent, Wang said, noting that the reduction for equipment manufacturers was 9.6 percent.
With tax and fee policies paying off, sales revenue of Chinese enterprises has grown 3.4 percent year on year since the third quarter, accelerating from 1.1 percent in the second quarter.
From the beginning of this year to November 10, enterprises' spending on equipment purchase rose 4.9 percent year on year, 1 percentage point higher than the increase in the first half of this year, Wang said.


text:
SpaceShipTwo Sets its Novel Height Record of 71,000 Feet
According to a new report, virgin's SpaceshipTwo (SS2) has set a new altitude record in its very first test flight in the current year. It has been reported that the Galactic's SpaceShipTwo has attained a height of 71,000 feet at speed of about Mach 1.4, which was accomplished in its third test flight of 2014 on Friday.
The main motive of the flight above the Mojave Air and Space Port is to set the stage for eventual tourist flights into space. This program aims at providing practical sub-orbit space travel for commercial purposes.
The SpaceShipTwo is a reusable spacecraft prototype, which is powered by a hybrid rocket system. Features of the ship are that it uses a rubber compound as well as nitrous oxide to boost the craft at supersonic speeds and contains seat for six passengers along with one pilot seat.
It has been reported that the SpaceShipTwo took off its flight with its mothership, the WhiteKnightTwo at Mojave Air and Space Port near Los Angeles. The SpaceShipTwo was detached from its support to begin the test flight at the height of about 46,000 feet above surface of earth.
Scientists predict the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo will soon offer first commercial space flights this year, after completion of all test flights.
Fashion major Michael Kors has agreed to acquire Jimmy Choo for $1.2 billion. New York-based Michael Kors will be able to diversify its portfolio by acquiring UK-based Jimmy Choo, a brand having strong sales in luxury segment.
Samsung is yet to officially unveil its next-generation flagship Galaxy Note 8 smartphone, but KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has already revealed some key details of the upcoming device’s dual camera setup.
Some employees of a tech firm in Wisconsin will soon be able to open doors, unlock office equipment, log into computers and even make in-house purchases with just a swipe of the hand.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted US and UK economies will experience weaker-than-expected activity and expand more slowly this year than previously predicted.
The European Commission has confirmed that EU antitrust regulators are probing allegations of a cartel among a group of German carmakers, in an action that could result in bulky penalties for the companies.
Tesla Motors’ long-awaited Model 3 will be a “major test” for the Palo Alto-based electric car giant, according to industry analysts.


text:
Samsung just announced its Q1 2012 earnings this evening and reported revenues of 45.27 trillion won (roughly $40 billion USD), which is up 22 percent YOY, and a record operating profit of 5.85 trillion won (roughly $5.1 billion), and a consolidated net profit of 5.o.5 trillion won. Samsung saw “an increase in profitability in display panels and mobile phones pushed up quarterly operating profit margins by 1.7 percentage points to 12.9 percent,” according to the press release. The South Korea-based company also saw strong Galaxy Note and Galaxy S II sales, which contributed to high profits for the quarter. However, many potential customers are most likely waiting for the release of the Galaxy S III set to be launched at a London media event May 3. Samsung announced yesterday that the S III would be the first handset to pack the company’s all new 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor.
Samsung should have another strong Q2 lead by the Galaxy S III. We will hop on the company’s call with investors to hear more details about Q1 2012 and hopefully (although unlikely) something about the Galaxy S III. You can read the full press release after the break.


text:
SHENZHEN, China, June 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey, a leading global provider of power solutions, increases its selection of curved monitors with the X2471C, a 23.6-inch monitor featuring a curvature of 1800R.
Huntkey has become widely known for its high-quality power strips, surge protectors, adapters and chargers,
SHENZHEN, China, June 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey, a leading global provider of power solutions, announces the availability of its curved monitor - the M4081C, a...PR Newswire 2019-06-05
SHENZHEN, China, June 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey, a leading global provider of power solutions, has officially announced the special offer for its power strip - the...PR Newswire 2019-06-25
SHENZHEN, China, June 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey, a leading global provider of power solutions, is offering discounts on its power strips and surge protectors during...The Record 2019-06-17
Samsung expands its curved gaming monitor line with 27-inch, 240Hz G-SYNC compatible display for immersive, fast-action gameplay Samsung Electronics today announced its new...Public Technologies 2019-06-10
Popular News Stories
Trump-Iran news: Russia says downed US drone was in Iranian air space, contradicting key claim ...
Iran to ditch further nuclear weapon commitments in retaliation for new US sanctions
Billy Cox murder: Two men arrested over killing of teenager shot dead in his bedroom ...
Mexican president says troops won't detain migrants on US border: 'That's not our job'
Pamela Anderson dumps 'monster' Adil Rami over cheating claims: 'This is my worst nightmare'
Yahoo Daily News
Global Computer Monitors Markets, 2015-2018 & 2019-2022 - Strong Product Portfolio Catapults Dell to the Leadership Position
DUBLIN, June 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Computer Monitors: Global Market Analysis, Trends, and Forecasts" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2015 through...PR Newswire 2019-06-10
Los Angeles – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced its new 27-inch CRG5(C27RG5) gaming monitor, the latest in Samsung’s line of curved gaming monitors. The CRG5 delivers innovative new gaming features including a lightning-fast 240Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility—providing a powerful combination of unparalleled picture quality and speed for intense...Manila Standard Today 2019-06-20
Portable monitors give you a bigger screen that you can bring with you on the go so you're not stuck doing important tasks on a small screen. The GeChic 1503H portable monitor is our top pick because it provides a decent viewing experience without adding much girth to your travel bag. Here are the best portable monitors you can buy in 2019: Best portable monitor overall: GeChic...The Times of India 2019-06-16
The Area-51m shows us that bigger is much better. Carlsen Martin As the gaming laptop trend moves towards “portable power”, an increasing number of manufacturers are ditching the powerhouse designs of the past and opting for sleeker alternatives. The thinner, lighter, and less conspicuous gaming notebooks of today are capable of handling any task thrown at them. But unlike...Moneycontrol 2019-06-12
SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., June 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cable Matters®, an industry-leading supplier of connectivity solutions, announced a new addition to their line of custom-designed USB-C™ products. The Cable Matters Dual-Input USB-C Docking Station with Dual 4K Video and 80W Power Delivery provides a clever and economical solution for MacBook Pro users to connect two 4K...PR Newswire 2019-06-11
Targus Brings First-To-Market Quad 4K Docking Station to Display Industry with Cost-Effective, Rapid-Deployment Signage Solution
ORLANDO, Fla., Jun. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- [INFOCOMM 2019] -- Targus, the leader in universal docking solutions, today brings its revolutionary quad 4K docking station to the display industry. Debuting for the first time at InfoComm, Targus showcases its new DOCK570USZ that seamlessly delivers 4K to four extended displays. Targus Universal USB-C™ Quad 4K (QV4K) Docking...PR Newswire 2019-06-12


text:
Mail delivery for many Americans will slow starting on Friday, part of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s blueprint for overhauling the U.S. Postal Service in order to slash costs. But critics say the slower delivery standards could cause problems such as late bill delivery while more broadly undermining the public’s faith in the USPS.
Almost 4 of 10 pieces of first-class mail will see slower delivery, according to Paul Steidler, senior fellow at the Lexington Institute and an expert on the postal service. That “means mail delivery will be slower than in the 1970s,” he said, calling DeJoy’s plan “disastrous.”
Starting tomorrow, the postal service’s current three-day delivery standard for first-class mail — letters, bills, tax documents and the like — will drop to delivery anywhere within the U.S. within five days. In other words, Americans should now expect that letters and other mail could take up to five days to reach their destinations, and vice versa.
- Tampax Sexualizing Periods Again
- Who Is Killing The Crypto Millionaires?
- At This Point They Aren’t Even Trying To Hide Who They Really Serve
- First Ever Americans Charged with Seditious Conspiracy
- Is Credit Suisse about to blow?
- Housing market crash is happening right now
- Michael Burry says the US economy will suffer a multiyear recession. He sees no way for authorities to end the downturn early and warns consumers will virtually exhaust their savings soon, tanking the economy.
- BIG LEAK– FDA COVID-19 Vaccine Working List Of Possible Adverse Event Outcomes
- Civil Unrest Explodes in China Over Lockdowns
- The Truth About The China Riots


text:
Since the Facebook initial public listing , a series of steps are being taken to emphasize its revenue via desktop or mobile. Facebook’s IPO value is currently fluctuating between $28 -$29, which is way lower than its initial pricing of $38. Facebook’s stock has already stirred dissatisfaction amongst most of its shareholders. But still Facebook manages to shape up its revenue through the second quarter earning.
Facebook Q2 Financial Report 2012:
The 2nd quarter earning reports shows a revenue of $1.18 billion ending 30th June this year. It is an increase of 32% of $895 million compared to the 2nd quarter result of 2011. The ad revenue for the firm was $992 million which is 84% of its total revenue.
The second quarter ad revenue is an increase of 28% compared to the Q2 report of 2011. Also the GAAP loss from operations was $743 million, compared to income from operations of $407 million for the 2nd quarter last year.
Non-GAAP income from operations for Q2 was $515 million, compared to $477 million for Q2 result of 2011.
In addition to that, other details were revealed. There was a year-over-year increase of 29% with 955 million active users as of June 30 2012 whereas an increase of 32% was seen with 552 million daily active users on average. Monthly mobile active users increased to 67% with 543 million users.
Facebook Is Not Pegged To Zynga:
Earlier due to the disappointing 2nd quarter result of Zynga (almost 11% decrease from the expected revenue), it was expected that it might have an ill impact on Facebook’s revenue as well. Moreover, as Facebook’s IPO stock value was not so promising above its initial pricing of $38 per share and many shareholders where disappointed by this, the decline in its revenue was expected. But Zynga is not the only revenue source for Facebook.
As mentioned earlier, 84% of its total revenue for Facebook is from its ads on user’s pages, especially due to the increasing number of active users both in mobile and desktop. Zynga pointed out fingers at Facebook, saying that it had changed its algorithm, leading users to play new games (like the villi type games) online other than the existing Zynga games. John Schappert – chief operating officer of Zynga said “Our users did not remain as engaged and did not come back as often. Instead new games were promoted.”
Now this was not an issue with Facebook, what ever games were played through Facebook, the benefit is for Facebook. In addition to this Facebook also launched its App center internationally, which means more revenue.
It is mentioned in the Facebook newsroom:
” Game developer Kixeye has seen a lift in the quality of organic installs, and found that App Center traffic produces better than average revenue per user for its games War Commander and Battle Pirates. Similarly, a growing percentage of new players in Disney’s Marvel: Avengers Alliance are originating from the App Center, and those users are more engaged than those who come through other channels.”
There are other popular apps and games on Facebook like Diamond Dash by Wooga, Bubble Witch Saga by King.com, Jetpack Joyride by Halfbrick, Angry Birds Friends by Rovio, Ninja Showdown by Noritown, Soundcloud (Germany), Spotify (Sweden), and Deezer (France) etc.
Facebook ads records more clicks from android than iOS and Blackberry. Facebook’s mobile ad CTR is 11 times higher than non-mobile ads (desktop ads) and also CTR on mobile ad campaigns are 15x more than the non-mobile ad campaign.
Whether it’s ads or games, this might prove a promising future for Facebook’s revenue via the mobile devices in the years to come.


text:
Heroes of the Storm – Suns Out Guns Out Mode and Sweepstakes
Heroes of the Storm reveals new details on a new mode, Suns Out Guns Out, along with special loot boxes, and even a sweepstakes event!
Videos You May Enjoy
Articles You May Enjoy
- ROSE Online Now On Steam
- Gravity Interactive has announced that its popular anime MMORPG, ROSE Online, is now available on Valve’s leading online gaming platform for...
- SkyForge: Closed Beta Begins Today
- Skyforge, the highly anticipated sci-fi, fantasy MMORPG from Obsidian Entertainment, Allods Team and My.com, is beginning its first closed bet...


text:
Fall planting season is upon us. WStoday met with Jon Roethling, Director of Reynolda Gardens, ahead of the fall plant sale.
He shared gardening knowledge and suggestions for what to plant this season.
Most woody plants have two root growth cycles. One happens right now; another happens before plants leaf out in springtime. Roethling says it’s an important reason to get perennials, trees, and shrubs planted soon.
“You’re setting yourself up better to deal with the summer by having that. It’s twice established, so that’s why we always say Fall is for planting,” Roethling told WStoday.
All you seed is love (+ water)
Winston-Salem is in planting zone 7b. Roethling says our climate isn’t too hot or too cold, allowing gardeners to grow a wide range of plants.
Fall temperatures can still get warm. When that happens, new plantings will require more water. Roethling stresses watching rain totals and giving them a good soak two to three times a week when it’s dry.
Many plants will continue to flower until the first frost. In Winston-Salem, Roethling says that typically happens around Halloween (Oct. 31). However, in recent years, what’s known as a “killing frost” hasn’t happened until December.
Frond of some fall favorites
Roethling recommends a mixture of non-invasive plants that bring you joy.
Here’s what he recommends this planting this season — and why:
- The flowers of the “fragrant angel” coneflower smell like milk chocolate.
- Leaves on kale, mustards, cabbages, and bok choy provide color and texture — and are edible.
- Huechera leaves are evergreen, so you’ll enjoy its color throughout winter.
- The Japanese flowering apricot is unique and flowers sometimes as early as January. Its pinkish-white blooms are fragrant.
Gardeners can shop Reynolda Gardens’ fall plant sale on Saturday, Sept. 30 on the front lawn of Reynolda House from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Roethling recommends arriving early.


text:
An “overwhelming majority” of US consumers (75%) say they most trust banks to keep their payments safe, an American Bankers Association survey has found. 4% most trust alternative payment providers such as PayPal and Venmo while only 1% most trust major retailers or telecom companies. 6% of US consumers have used a mobile app to make a payment, the survey found, with PayPal most popular (45%) followed by Apple Pay (42%) and Google Wallet (11%).
- Radius Bank lets customers add location-based transaction restrictions
- Shell pilots RFID system that scans all the items in a shopping basket in one go
- Metro Bank lets customers open an account with a selfie
- Dutch banks ING and Rabobank begin QR code payments pilot
- ABN Amro pulls out of Dutch banks’ mobile payment venture


text:
The use of cryptocurrencies for online purchases has been steadily gaining popularity. However, the use of cryptocurrencies to pay for products in stores has been slow due to the lack of infrastructure that can support cryptocurrency transactions. Tangem AG has obtained a technology patent that enables cryptographic transactions in conventional POS terminals without modifying the existing infrastructure.
Conventional electronic payment systems such as MasterCard, Visa and Europay do not support cryptocurrency transactions in their default state. In other words, a customer cannot simply pay for their purchases using cryptocurrency at the local supermarket’s point-of-sale (POS) terminal. To address this shortcoming, Tangem, a Swiss fintech pioneer, has developed and patented a secure cryptocurrency hardware wallet and associated cryptocurrency transaction authorization protocol compatible with mainstream electronic payment systems. Therefore, a vendor does not have to purchase a separate POS terminal configured specifically for cryptocurrency transactions.
US Patent No. 11,315,113 to Tangem describes a secure crypto wallet, which can be implemented as a smart card or smartphone application, that stores customers’ private crypto keys for crypto funds. The wallet is configured to interface with a conventional POS terminal using either a standard one-touch contactless approach or a card-insertion contact approach made with a chip-and-PIN bank card. The patent also describes a new blockchain transaction authorization method whereby a POS terminal can obtain a blockchain transaction signature (authorization) from the customer’s hardware crypto wallet and transmit this authorization through a conventional electronic payment network by embedding the necessary data in standard electronic messages.
One of the main challenges of prosecuting fintech patents is overcoming the subject matter eligibility rejections under 35 USC 101 in light of the Supreme Court decision. Alice Corp v. CLS Bank, which restricts the patentability of certain business methods. This challenge can be made even greater if your patent application is assigned to the USPTO’s 3620 or 3680 art units, which examine business method patents and are notoriously difficult to prosecute, with patent grant rates as low as 25% and 30%, respectively. Despite being located in art unit 3680, ArentFox Schiff’s patent attorneys were able to obtain the patent for Tangem, within six months of the filing date, with minimal prosecution using well-developed patent drafting strategies. , such as emphasizing the technical aspects and improvements of the invention. over conventional technical standards.


text:
After some rumors earlier this year about Diablo III coming to the Nintendo Switch, Diablo III: Eternal Collection was leaked in an article by Forbes ahead of its announcement expected for August 16. [Thanks, Resetera.]
The article in question has now been removed, but we got a glimpse of what’s to come with a Legend of Ganondorf cosmetic armor wh ich you can see in the above image. Also revealed as a Tri-Force portrait frame, Chicken pet, and Echoes of the Mask cosmetic wings.
The Nintendo Switch version of Diablo III will allow you to play in different ways, docked or on-the-go:
- Up to 4 players can play together on a single Switch.
- Up to 4 players can play on 4 different Switch units wirelessly without an internet connection.
- Players can also team up online with the Nintendo Switch Online service (which launches in September.)
Furthermore, the game will offer cloud saving support.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection is expected to launch in 2018 for Nintendo Switch, priced at $59.99. The collection is currently available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.


text:
We caught up with Nourish Ingredients CEO Dr James Petrie, who shared what the recent $45.6m raise means for the company and how its products will fit into the alternative protein space.
R&D is in Nourish’s DNA
Petrie and Nourish Ingredients co-founder Ben Leita earned their stripes working together at Australia’s government research agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). In collaboration with agritech business, Nufarm, and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), the CSIRO team used microalgae genes to develop a “fish oil canola crop” and create a “sustainable (plant-based) source of animal type oil”.
Leita and Petrie’s experience in developing an alternative source of “animal type” oil set them on course to establish Nourish Ingredients, with the aim of developing animal and dairy fats using yeast fermentation.
Much like precision fermented dairy proteins, Nourish uses yeast proteins as the starting point for its fat and oil products. Rather than producing alcohol during fermentation, yeast proteins are fed nutrients and genetically modified to produce “animal type fats and oils”. The fats and oils can then be “squeezed out” of the yeast cells and applied to plant-based protein products.
In Future Alternative‘s recent podcast interview with Petrie, he gave us some insights into the nature of research in the precision fermented fat space and said that Nourish “cast(s) the net pretty far and wide”, pointing to ongoing collaboration with CSIRO as well as research projects it is undertaking with Flinders University, University of Queensland, Queensland University of Technology and other international educational institutions.
The purpose of the collaborative projects is to develop knowledge in areas that “we recognise the need for, but don’t have the skill for internally,” said Petrie, who added that it is “really beneficial for Nourish to have these research institutes to partner with… because they have the muscle, and we have the flexibility and agility”.
The products and the potential
Nourish aims to release its first product next year, competing with the ingredient list on plant-based products.
While Petrie said the current fat sources for plant-based products, such as vegetable, coconut or palm oils can have “some attributes that are pretty good”, and can be “quite good functionally”, they are “distinctly un-animal like” and lack the flavour, mouthfeel and general experience of a “really well cooked piece of meat.”
Petrie expressed his optimism around cellular agriculture, in particular the possibility of “culturing meat types that we haven’t yet started to domesticate or eat”, saying that “there are probably some amazing flavours out there”.
In the meantime, Nourish’s first product, expected to hit the market next year, will be a “meat fat that adds in (the) animal-like taste and aroma” to plant-based products and provides “the authentic and rich flavours and cooking experience” that meat can provide consumers with.
The product will also enable “individual food producers” to take the flavour profiles of their products “in their own direction”.
The future of fermented fats
The possibility of developing “hybrid” alternative protein products that utilise elements of cellular agriculture combined with the “low cost base of plant-based products” was also flagged by Petrie. It will be “an exciting phase of the industry” that could offer consumers increased product quality using “the best of both worlds” he said.
“Never say never” was Petrie’s response when asked about the possibility of a Nourish retail range. But while the prospect of increasing brand recognition through a flagship direct-to-consumer product has been discussed internally, the company will maintain its B2B focus for the foreseeable future.
The funds from the recent $45.6 million Series A raise will be focussed on not only scaling Nourish’s production capability, but refining the product to the point that customers will be “ready to buy.” Bringing the timelines of these two priorities together would be the key challenge for Nourish moving forward, Petrie said.
And while the funds would be a “good start” for Nourish, Petrie explained that building the necessary production capability over the long term would cost in “the order of hundreds of millions of dollars”, and that for now the company’s attention is focused on building strategic partnerships that enable it to “get the product right”, first and foremost.
Listen to the full conversation with James Petrie below.


text:
VW has announced that it aims to produce over 11 million electric vehicles in China by 2028, which will be over half of the Group’s total global output, as it plans to become the leading player in the largest EV market.
At the first World New Energy Event Vehicle Congress in the Chinese city of Boao, Volkswagen AG CEO Dr Herbert Diess discussed the Group’s strategy for China, where it will commit to owning a 50% share of the country’s electric vehicle market.
By 2020, VW will offer 14 electrified models to China and will continue to strengthen its position with more EVs planned, as well as the investment in local R&D with more than 4,500 engineers working on future technologies to transform the landscape of electro mobility.
“The Chinese car market is of vital importance for Volkswagen’s e-offensive. We want to expand our leadership role through local partnerships and increased R&D work in the country,” said Dr Diess.
“China also relies on emission-free mobility under its clear commitment to the goals of Paris. In this transformation, we are playing a key role in providing a comprehensive range of e-vehicles and strengthening the private charging infrastructure.”
Last year, more than one million plug-in hybrids and purely battery-powered vehicles were sold. This makes China the world’s largest market for electric vehicles. The government is supporting e-mobility through comprehensive initiatives such as the expansion of the charging infrastructure and low electricity costs. In addition, more renewable energy is being harnessed to generate electricity.
Joint ventures will play an important role in delivering VW’s plans, with FAW-Volkswagen, SAIC Volkswagen and JAC Volkswagen all working on producing electric vehicles in the country. The Group’s modular MEB platform will also help as it is able to roll out electrification to a range of models without the requirement to engineer individual platforms for each model.
With a new joint venture, Volkswagen is aiming to improve the charging infrastructure in China to support the increasing number of EV adoption. As part of the cooperation between Star Charge, FAW and JAC, private wallboxes will be available from the end of this year and a large number of publicly available charging stations will be set up.


text:
In a further move to meet the exacting needs of the home theater and commercial HDTV markets, Brillian Corporation announced that its 720p and 1080p Gen II liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCoS(TM)) HDTVs have been certified by Crestron Electronics, a manufacturer of advanced control and automation systems.
Crestron provides fully integrated audio/video, security, lighting, HVAC, and other products to corporate boardrooms, conference rooms, classrooms, auditoriums, and homes. The Brillian 720p and 1080p HDTVs are the first LCOS rear-projection HDTVs to be certified by Crestron.
As part of the Crestron Integrated Partner Program, a Brillian-specific Integrated Partner module is now available to Crestron dealers for download at www.crestron.com. It enables dealers to easily integrate Brillian's rear-projection HDTVs into home and professional environments, taking advantage of a drag-and-drop interface to control the HDTVs' on-screen menu items, including input type, volume, brightness, extensive aspect ratio, and screen layout options.
"Crestron has earned its leadership position in the market by being at the forefront of incorporating controls for the hottest technologies for home theater and commercial applications," said Crestron's Chris Wildfoerster, director of Market Development. "The Brillian HDTV, with its recent awards from PC Magazine, AVS Forum/AccuCal and Forbes/Displaymate, continues that trend for us and ensures that we support the best of the best for our dealers and end-user customers."
to Daily News


text:
LATEST NEWS & EVENTS
RouteSmart’s premier learning and collaboration event returns to Annapolis with new technology for newspaper delivery.
04/01/2014-Gannett Publishing Services has deployed RouteSmart Online to standardize routing processes
RouteSmart Technologies announced today that Gannett Publishing Services has deployed RouteSmart Online to standardize routing processes across their nationwide distribution network.
Postal & Parcel Delivery
RouteSmart Technologies will showcase managed services and on-premise route planning software solutions that are currently enabling clients to analyze routes and automate dynamic daily routing processes, resulting in increased efficiency and on-time e-commerce delivery performance. Visit RouteSmart in booth 17:01 at Post Expo in Stockholm, Sweden, September 23-25, 2014.
01/29/2014-RouteSmart Technologies will showcase route planning solutions at World Mail & Express Americas
RouteSmart Technologies works with both national posts and global small package delivery companies to provide delivery routing solutions which support fast-changing delivery and service requirements in an increasingly competitive industry.
RouteSmart creates new trash collection routing system that should save the city of Cincinnati almost $1 million a year in reduced routes, less fuel use and more evenly distributed work. Read the article >
UK RouteSmart partner ISL highlights routing expertise in public works and beyond.
Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA) will be discussing their implementation of RouteSmart’s AMR Read Range-Derived Route Optimization Solution at Itron Utility Week in San Antonio, Texas October 19-21, 2014
RouteSmart Technologies announced today that its AMR Read Range-Derived Route Optimization Solution for utilities has proven to reduce meter reading travel distances and total route times by 50% or more, while significantly increasing daily read rates.
DistribuTECH is recognized as one of the largest transmission and distribution events in the world. Nearly 500 exhibitors and 10,000 utility professionals will gather to attend conference sessions, Utility University courses, and networking events. The 2016 event will be held in Orlando, FL. Visit RouteSmart in booth #1179.


text:
Steve Buckley has four grandkids, “so that had a lot to do with it.”
Buckley is the Rockville-based founder of Bangarang Books, a new company that’s developing virtual and augmented reality children’s books. Through an accompanying app, Buckley’s books (like Blackbear the Pirate and other titles) transform from a traditional illustrated children’s book into a multi-dimensional tech-enabled adventure. They call it INkMOTION — it’s sort of a pop-up book for the modern era, if you will.
We sat down with Buckley over coffee to hear how he became a children’s book author in the first place, and how INkMOTION evolved.
Buckley has been writing his entire life, but until more recently the output was proposals for federal contracts. It was in the federal contracting space, in defense, that Buckley got his introduction to AR and VR. About 15 years ago, he said, he began filling journals with his own writing. He then found an illustrator and started writing children’s books — and at the end of 2015, with a partner, founded his own publishing company (Bangarang Books).
Buckley wrote the Blackbear the Pirate series himself, with illustrations by Ruth Palmer. But he’s also bringing on other authors and illustrators to create stories for Bangarang Books. “The books stand on their own … but then we have this whole new element,” Buckley said.
That new element — the free accompanying app build by London-based VR Studio Amplified Robot — grew, at least partially, out of Buckley watching children like his own grandkids interact with mobile phones and tablets. “Kids are using these as toys,” he told Technical.ly, wielding his iPhone, “and what we’re trying to do is turn them back into tools.”
Yes, INkMOTION’s “peek,” “pop” (AR features that allow a reader to see inside and on top of an illustrated image, respectively) and “go” (the VR component) features are fun. But the app-and-book combination offers unique educational capacity as well, Buckley argues. The app will “read” the book aloud when pointed at the page, highlighting words as it goes along. This is great for the beginning reader — and what’s more the read-along feature is available in multiple languages (English and French, for now).
“Nothing like this has been introduced to the children’s book field since, you know, pop-up books,” Buckley said. “It’s gonna do something in the industry that’s going to wake them up.”
Just how much INkMOTION disrupts the children’s book industry remains to be seen. Bangarang Books officially launched at the New York Toy Fair on Feb. 18.
Is this the children’s book of the future?
Knowledge is power!
Subscribe for free today and stay up to date with news and tips you need to grow your career and connect with our vibrant tech community.


text:
The days when you could call Trader Joe's infamous Charles Shaw wine "Two-Buck Chuck" may have come to an end.
"In general, our retail prices change only when our costs change," Alison Mochizuki, director of public relations for Trader Joe's, stated in an email. "We've held a $1.99 retail price for 11 years. Quite a bit has happened during those years and the move to $2.49 allows us to offer the same quality that has made the wine famous the world over."
The company cites increased costs as the cause of the 25 percent price hike, while only California locations are guaranteed to see this immediate change. Of course, going from $1.99 to $2.49 isn't going to devastate many piggy banks; the main issue seems to be how the new price tag will affect what consumers will now call the wine.
However, Rudy, our Senior NapTaker here at Foodbeast, said it perfectly: "Two and a Half Buck Chuck just doesn't sound right."


text:
The athletic apparel retailer also boosts site visits by 50% using customer analytics platform AgilOne.
Second quarter web sales at women’s apparel and accessories retailer Coldwater Creek decreased 2.3% to $27.9 million while companywide sales remained virtually flat.
Second quarter web sales at women’s apparel and accessories retailer Coldwater Creek Inc. decreased 2.3% to $27.9 million while companywide sales remained virtually flat at $92.8 million, Coldwater Creek reports. Web sales in Q2 represented 30.1% of all sales vs. 30.8% in last year’s second quarter.
For the first half web sales grew 4.9%over last year’s first half to $66.4 million vs. $63.3 million. Web sales accounted for 32.4% of companywide first half sales vs. 30.8% in last year’s first half. Total first half sales decreased 0.4% to $204.8 million.
In spite of the second-quarter decrease in web sales, the web is still displacing catalog sales at Coldwater Creek. As a proportion of direct revenue--catalog, web site and outlet stores--the web accounted for 40.7% of sales in Q2 up from 35.5% a year earlier. Ditto for first half, rising to 42.3% from 34.3% a year earlier.
In Q2, the company lost $700,000 vs. income of $1.3 million in Q2 a year ago. In the first half, the company earned $2.1 million vs. $2.7 million a year ago.
The Q2 fall in sales was the result of a later mailing of catalogs, the company said. "Although this had a negative impact on the results for the second quarter, we believe our decision to present fall merchandise closer to the time our customers are actually shopping for these items represents a sound strategic direction," said Georgia Shonk-Simmons, president and chief executive officer.


text:
Fidget spinners—little twirling gadgets that are all the rage among a certain youthful age group—are literally fidgeting and spinning off shelves faster than suppliers and retailers can stock them. Available at brick-and-mortar retailers such as Wal-Mart, Walgreens and 7-Eleven, online searches for these addictive contraptions began spiking in April, according to Google trends.
Ready-made for point-of-purchase impulse buys, fidget spinners are being marketed as an aid for people who are stressed or have ADHD, autism or anxiety. But they're also a distraction in class. Teachers across the country are banning them from their classrooms. Vox Media recently quoted a teacher venting via a blog post: "The only thing my students seem to focus on ... is the spinner, itself, and not their work. It's like a friggin' siren song."
Click through to see some additional information about the little toy, where it's available, and how you might be able to get your hands on some.


text:
Tesla to Fine Users Who Hog Its Supercharger Stations for Electric Cars
Tesla is finally putting an end to the misery of many electric car users complaining about how some Tesla owners are hogging Supercharger Stations located around the country. By doing so, Tesla owners will be given equal opportunity to charge their electric vehicles.
To stop hogging, Tesla introduced an "idle fee" that will apply to fully charged units that are still occupying Supercharger slots. Elon Musk's electric car and renewable battery company acted on complaints by its users after the number of idle cars blocking the Supercharge network increased.
"To create a better experience for all owners, we're introducing a fleet-wide idle fee that aims to increase Supercharger availability," a Tesla official said in a press release. But that's not all the company is doing to alleviate the problem. With the vision of having more electric vehicles in the future, Tesla dreams of making the cars automatically move away from Supercharger slots once fully charged. The motivation is to make using electric vehicles efficient and an enjoyable experience for all users.
The new Tesla app will alert owners when the charging of their vehicle is almost complete and another notification will be sent once it is done. For owners who failed to remove their fully charged vehicles from the Supercharger slot, they will be fined $0.40 idle fee. However, moving the car within a five-minute grace period will automatically waive the fee. "We're excited to increase availability during long distance travel and think this change will make the Supercharging experience far better for everyone," the official said in the same report.
Currently, there are 769 Supercharger Stations in the U.S and Canada, according to Fortune. Every electric car owner's concern is the location of charging stations if there's a need for it on the road. Earlier this year, Business Insider reported that all new Tesla proud owners would be charged for using the stations.
Based on Tesla's report, this new process is in not introduced just to earn more money for the company. Tesla says this was entirely enforced to enhance the user's "Supercharging experience".


text:
So close, yet so far away. On July 13th, Gov. Newson a ordered major roll back of the state's re-opening plan. Check here for updates on what's open across the county and what's open locally here in Frogtown.
Due to the impact the of the ongoing pandemic to the small business community, we are updating resources and latest COVID-19 happenings .
Kruegermann Pickles has been in Frogtown for over 55 years. Check out their story to learn about their history and why they Frogtown.
Events have been postponed due to COVID-19, but check out our membership benefits in the meantime.
Our Goal, Vision & Commitment
Explore Membership Options
See Networking Opportunities